Immigrant Health Toolkit from WA Chapter of American Academy of Pediatrics
This toolkit provides relevant and practical information to empower providers in WA State to promote the health and well-being of their immigrant patients.
February 14, 2020 · Article
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Postpartum Practices among Vietnamese and Chinese Patients
The goal of this handout is to increase awareness among practitioners serving Asian patients so that excellent care is delivered with sensitivity to patients’ values.
October 17, 2019 · PDF
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Somali Perinatal Preference: A Summary for Providers
Recommendations for OB providers about Somali women's preferences for education and approaches to care during prenatal period and labor/delivery.
September 30, 2014 · PDF
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Developmental Screening with Recent Immigrant and Refugee Children
Article about developmental screening of immigrant and refugee children with information about developmental screening, literature review, qualitative findings, recommendations and discussion.
December 7, 2012 · Article
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Cambodian Perinatal Culture-Bound Syndromes: Providing Care to Cambodian Women with Toas
Information about postpartum period sor sai kchey, which alludes to a period of fragile health lasting from one to three months after childbirth during which many traditional postpartum practices are followed.
December 2, 2010 · Article
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Oromo Immigrants and Breast Feeding Information
Information about Oromo practices and beliefs about breastfeeding.
August 14, 2009 · Article
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Post-partum Practices among Vietnamese and Chinese Patients
A 2 page brochure and related poster about the post-partum practice of a "sitting month" among Vietnamese and Chinese patients.
August 14, 2009 · PDF
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Failure to Thrive and Oral Aversion in Immigrant Infants and Toddlers
Summary report of a quality improvement project carried out to determine if there were common patterns found in the history and presentation of non-organic failure to thrive among Somali infants and if underlying cultural factors might be influencing this condition.
August 14, 2009 · Article
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Somali Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Study: Infant and Young Child Feeding and Health Seeking Practices
The purpose of this study was to enhance an understanding of the contribution of poor child care practices to malnutrition (both acute and chronic) and subsequently provide key recommendations for simple and effective responses.
August 14, 2009 · PDF
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Breast Feeding Support for Somali Mothers
A powerpoint slide show about infant overfeeding in immigrant families, with focus on Somali families.
August 14, 2009 · PDF
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Infant Sleep Position in Immigrant Ethnic Groups
A short article about the positions in which infants from different ethnic groups are placed to sleep.
August 14, 2009 · Article
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Oral Health Beliefs, Traditions and Practices in the Somali Culture
Information about cultural practices and health beliefs impact the oral care of Somalis, and practical implications for providers.
August 8, 2009 · Article
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Perinatal Profile for Patients from Somalia
Information to help providers become familiar with the cultural values and historical experiences of women from Somalia and their families, as it pertains to obstetrical outcomes and providing culturally appropriate care.
December 8, 2008 · Article
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New Immigrant Children: Screening and Treatment Guidelines
Describes two components of medical screening of immigrant children new to the Harborview Child and Teen clinic: Preventive Health Interventions and Screening Lab Work.
March 27, 2007 · PDF
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Approach to Medical Assessment and Screening for New Refugee and Immigrant Children
Guidelines on how to approach health assessment and disease screening in immigrant children newly arrived to the US and/or new to the Harborview Child and Teen Clinic.
March 27, 2007 · PDF
1174953600
Cambodian Postpartum Practices
Article about postpartum traditions in Cambodian culture.
September 1, 2004 · Article
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Uvulectomy
Look more closely the next time that you examine the throat of a patient born in Africa. Is the uvula […]
September 1, 1996 · Article
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Peripartum and Infant Care Issues and Practices among Refugee Groups in Seattle
Some traditional practices around pregnancy and infant care in Southeast Asian and East African groups in Seattle.
August 1, 1996
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External Resources
Please also see our Related Websites page for a selected list of websites related to the populations or topics covered on EthnoMed.
This American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) toolkit was designed to provide practical information and resources for pediatricians to address common matters related to immigrant child health. To develop the toolkit, the AAP gathered and developed content that addresses issues that AAP members have raised regarding providing optimal care to immigrant children and families. Those issues are addressed throughout the toolkit. As the AAP continues its work on immigrant child health issues, this content will be expanded.
This 6-part series was designed with the primary care practice in mind – those who may or may not be familiar with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and the process of asking families about exposure to ACEs or other traumatic events. This project was funded through a grant (UC4MC21534) from the Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau.
National Immigrant Women's Advocacy Project makes available an Interactive Public Benefits Map and State-by-State Charts of public benefits available to immigrants.
BRYCS aims to strengthen the capacity of refugee-serving and mainstream organizations across the U.S. to empower and ensure the successful development of refugee children, youth, and their families. In providing technical assistance and maintaining the nation’s largest online collection of resources related to refugee and immigrant children and families, BRYCS increases public awareness and facilitates knowledge building, information sharing and collaboration among a diverse group of service providers, including child welfare, schools, refugee resettlement agencies, and ethnic and community-based organizations.
CareRef is a tool that guides clinicians through conducting a routine post-arrival medical screening of a newly arrived refugee to the U.S. The output of this tool is based on the current CDC Domestic Refugee Screening Guidelines. CareRef recommends screening tests and other preventive care based on the demographic and geographic factors that contribute to risk. The data used to create this tool are specific to refugee populations coming to the U.S.
Caring for Kids New to Canada helps health professionals provide quality care to immigrant and refugee children, youth and families. It was developed by the Canadian Paediatric Society with experts in newcomer health.
Article by Naomi F. Sugar, MD and Elinor A. Graham, MD, MPH published in Pediatrics in Review aiming to review normal anatomy and physiology in infants and prepubertal children, emphasizing developmental changes, normal variants, the differential diagnosis for common signs and symptoms, and techniques to perform an adequate and gentle genital examination in a school-age girl. This article may have institutional restricted access. Reference: Pediatrics in Review Vol. 27 No. 6 June 1, 2006 pp. 213 -223 (doi: 10.1542/pir.27-6-213)
Link to 2009 journal article from Pediatrics in Review (Authors: Pak-Gorstein, Haq, Graham), used with permission.
Cultural practices that present with dermatologic manifestations in the pediatric population are common. However, such skin manifestations are often poorly understood in western medicine and lesions are misdiagnosed, with child abuse being a common misdiagnosis.
2012 article published in the journal Nature. The study of autism around the globe must account for a variety of behavioral norms in different societies.
This community resource guide for families of children with Autism in Washington State was compiled by the state's Somali Health Board.
A 2013 review article providing an introduction to the practice of female genital cutting (FGC), the different types, cultural considerations for physicians caring for patients with FGC, and some culturally sensitive approaches to discussions about this topic with girls and women for whom this is an issue.
This 2017 factsheet provides advice to hospitals, medical centers, community health centers, other health care facilities, and advocates on how to prepare for and respond to (a) enforcement actions by immigration officials and (b) interactions with law enforcement that could result in immigration consequences for their patients.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Lead Poisoning Prevention Program in conjunction with the Office of Refugee Resettlement developed the Lead Poisoning Prevention in Newly Arrived Refugee Children tool kit in response to the increasing number of refugee children entering in the United States and subsequently developing elevated blood lead levels.
A Dec 13, 2017 news release from Kaiser Family Foundation about how increased fears around being an immigrant are having significant negative effects on children.
Video from Migrant Children and Health - Border, Boundaries and Bigotry: How healthcare providers can stop scaremongering surrounding migrant children.
This University of Minnesota project was funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Autism Speaks, to answer questions about the number of Somali and non-Somali children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Minneapolis. Resources available include a Community Report, Somali Translated Milestone Brochure/Booklet and Videos/Podcasts About ASD in the Somali Community.
Community Profiles for Health Care Providers is a practical tool that assists health care providers to better understand the health beliefs, pre-migration experiences, communication preferences and other aspects of their clients' culture. The profiles provide information for health care providers on the communication styles, health in Australia, health beliefs and practices, social determinants of health and utilization of health services of 18 multicultural communities. Includes specific resources with focus on the pregnancy, birth and post-natal care practices of 11 communities.
The Washington State Department of Health, Office of Newborn Screening (NBS) tests all infants born in Washington for a number of rare but treatable disorders using a dried blood spot specimen. Infants with these disorders usually appear healthy at birth and, without screening, the disorders are not likely to be detected and treated in time to prevent death or severe disability.
Open Doors for Multicultural Families (Open Doors or ODMF) provides culturally and linguistically relevant information, services, and programming to culturally and linguistically diverse families of persons with developmental and intellectual disabilities.
A series of 4 video blogs featuring experts on FGC, from the Global Alliance for Nursing and Midwifery (GANM) hosted by the PAHO/WHO Collaborating Center for Nursing Knowledge, Information Management & Sharing at Johns Hopkins.
This 2017 article outlines causal evidence of the impact of parents’ unauthorized immigration status on the health of their U.S. citizen children.
This toolkit from Bridging Refugee Youth and Children's Services (BRYCS) brings together useful resources that have been created for or can be adapted to developing parenting services for newly arrived families.
This booklet by Bridging Refugee Youth and Children's Services (BRYCS) was created for agencies serving refugees and immigrants in order to support their efforts to ensure that newcomer parents have the basic information they need about U.S. laws and parenting practices. Although newcomers may find the booklet useful by itself, it is primarily intended for case managers and other service providers to use together with their refugee and immigrant clients. The booklet is targeted to newcomer parents with low levels of English proficiency and/or low literacy levels.
Building on the original BRYCS publication, “Raising Children in a New Country: An Illustrated Handbook,” this new handbook addresses the following themes: Family Well-Being, Safety and Protection, Guidance and Discipline, Healthy Brain Development, Early Learning and School Readiness, and Connecting to Early Care and Education.
Information about refugees and the refugee resettlement process with a special look at child-specific issues, from Bridging Refugee Youth & Children’s Services (BRYCS).
This is a short video produced by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on behalf of the Somali Health Board (SHB), promoting the work done by SHB Perinatal Committee
August 2019 American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement provides an evidence-based document focused on the role of racism in child and adolescent development and health outcomes.
In 2012, Washington State became home to 2,164 newly arrived refugees, the tenth-largest number resettled in a state that year. This report describes the prevalence of both undernutrition and overnutrition among children (from birth to age 10) resettled in Washington State between July 2012 and June 2014, with most originating in Iraq, Somalia, or Burma. The researchers use results of a medical screening examination conducted before the children came to the United States.
The Survey of Well-being of Young Children (SWYC)™ is a freely-available, comprehensive screening instrument for children under 5 years of age. The SWYC was written to be simple to answer, short, and easy to read. The entire instrument requires 15 minutes or less to complete and is straightforward to score and interpret. The SWYC has been translated into Spanish, Khmer, Burmese, Nepali, Portuguese, Haitian-Creole, Arabic, Somali and Vietnamese.
Video on YouTube from the American Academy of Pediatrics about trauma-informed pediatric care for children of immigrant/refugee status.
The Vietnamese Family Autism Advisory Board (VFAAB) is a coalition of families, community members based in Seattle WA to support families of children with developmental delay in the Vietnamese community. The Board seeks to be a resource to families and community members, assisting people to connect to therapeutic and support services across the care system and educating the community about autism and developmental delay.
Pediatricians have a unique role in caring for and supporting immigrant children. This toolkit from the Washington Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics is meant to provide relevant and practical information that will empower providers in Washington to promote the health and well-being of their immigrant patients.
Dr. Janine Young, MD, FAAP joined the Society of Refugee Healthcare Providers to review definitions, understand global prevalence and impact on new refugee arrivals, learn about signs and symptoms of several relevant vitamin deficiencies, review environmental enteropathy, understand approach to work-up of mild-moderate malnutrition.
This 2010 document from the NY State Department of Health provides information on the prevalence of childhood lead poisoning among recent Burmese refugees, and prevention issues specific to this population. Also included is a discussion of some of the cultural and health practices common among Burmese refugees. It is intended for staff at resettlement organizations and local health departments, as well as health care providers, in order to facilitate effective communication with Burmese refugees on issues related to lead poisoning prevention, health care, and general health promotion.